I hate lies, I hate lying and I dislike liars.
I am aware that there’s philosophical debate around the issue of whether or not lying is acceptable. There seems to be a social consensus that, to a degree, lying is acceptable and sometimes even necessary or at least advisable.
I disagree. Granted, there might be situations where telling the truth might mean the death of a beloved person but for the vast majority of people this situation is contrived and unrealistic. For most of us it’s probably a matter of convenience or personal gain. Some jobs incentivise lying more than others do, I should think, but even so, you’re never compelled to lie to save yourself or others from serious harm.
I’ll go ahead and assume that this is true for myself and everyone who reads this.
My claim is, that the world would be a better place if people just stopped lying.
Let me also clarify a few things. Honesty and openness are not the same. Honesty does not entail speaking what’s on your mind all the time. It means to only communicate what you yourself believe to be truthful. It also means that one might say things that are, in fact, false without realizing it. We’re all wrong at times, sometimes confidently so. I’m guilty of this more frequently than I care to admit. I realize lies of omission are a thing. I count consciously deceiving others as lies, no matter the means used to achieve this.
You might argue that being honest with someone might end up hurting their feelings. True, this is possible. But I think this situation is vastly preferable to not knowing whether or not the person you asked for advice or their opinion actually meant what they said or whether they tried to not hurt your feelings. Also, there are ways to tell uncomfortable truths without condemning, but with compassion and maybe consolation or advice. I’ll take this over comfortable lies any day. Also, if you only have negative things to say, there’s always the option to just shut up. In fact, quite often this is the best course of action (or rather inaction).
You might think such a lifestyle makes one gullible. Indeed, to a degree it does. I’ve been lied to when I didn’t expect it so I didn’t question what I was told. But that does not mean I need to repay the world with lying as well.
I’m a terrible liar. I’m bad at doing it and I feel horrible, if I even try. Ironically, everyone around me is convinced that I’m very good at lying because I have a very deadpan way of delivering humor and people who don’t know me can’t tell the difference. And I admit, sometimes I exploit this trait to have a little fun with people but I always clear things up after a few seconds, maybe minutes at most. The only time where I actually mislead people (without telling actual lies in the common sense) is when it comes to birthday or Christmas gifts. But when it comes to consciously stating things that are untrue, I cave. Every time. I just can’t do it and I don’t try.
This is just me, you might think, what does this have to do with you or anyone else? Nothing per sé. But imagine a world in which no one ever lied. In which politicians say what they actually think and mean to do. What their plans for the future are. Imagine a salesman gave you honest pros and cons of the thing they want to sell you. Imagine people giving you honest feedback on things you say or do so you can strive to do and be better. Imagine if you could do the same thing with others without having to fear negative consequences. Imagine you could take anyone and anything at face value.
Maybe this is just the dream of socially inept people. Maybe it’s a dream for the stupid or the simple. It is a dream of mine. I know it will never come true, at least not in this world. But I stand by it.